The Trims Release ‘Julian Street’ at BackBar SoFa

PROPER TRIM: On 'Julian Street' The Trims are back in the saddle and ready to rep their hometown.

Listening to his band’s new music, Gabriel Maciel says he can’t help but hear the difference. “I can just tell, there seems to be more motivation and passion,” says the founder, guitarist and lead singer for San Jose indie trio The Trims.

Eight years after the release of their first full-length album, We Cried For Fun, the band is excited to celebrate their new sound and new 10-song collection, Julian Street, with a record release show set for June 22 at the BackBar SoFa.

Written by Maciel and drummer Billy Brady, the album finds The Trims in a creative sweet spot—one that reminds Maciel of the very beginnings of the band’s journey. On Julian Street the band experiments with synths and new rhythms, while Maciel incorporates a number of influences into his singing—early 2000s alternative bands, classic ’70s rock and old Spanish romantic melodies.

“If you want to lift weights it’s on here,” he says. “If you want to love someone, it’s on here. If you’re sad that you lost someone, it’s on here. If you’re feeling hopeful, it’s on here.”

On Julian Street The Trims take listeners on a journey through loaded punk riffs (“Turn Out The Lights”), crooning love ballads (“Nobody Else”) and an acoustic tear-jerker (“Gone Away”).

“We didn’t want to stay stuck in the same old Trims sound,” Maciel says of the album’s experimentations.

The hopeful tones underlying the album stem from a re-established sense of discovery and purpose in the band, which Maciel says he and his bandmates found after taking a much-needed break.

“It felt like we had kind of lost our mojo,” he says, explaining that The Trims had fallen into a bit of a funk over the past two years.

“We’re in complete and total harmony within the band,” he says, suddenly realizing that the Pharrell Williams song “Happy” is playing through the speakers behind him. “Perfect song! Because we’re happy!”

Although worried about coming off cliché, Maciel made it clear that he wanted listeners to resonate with the optimism felt when creating the album. “I want them to realize that life can be shitty,” he says. “But that that’s okay and that it can be a good thing, because just as much as life can be shitty it can be fucking awesome.”